Connemara marble was so uncool

Once upon a time, I thought Connemara marble was so uncool and old fashioned. As a twenty-one- year-old living away in Spain, this stone symbolised to me everything that was twee and kitsch about little ol' Ireland, in there with leprechauns and green pints of Guinness on Paddy's Day. 

close up of Connemara marble pendant available from Handmade by Amo'r

Ok, ok, I hear ya - nothing wrong with a few harmless little leprechauns. But don't anyone dare mess with my Guinness! Being a student of history and literature with a strong background in the tourism industry, I am very proud of Irish heritage, but there is often a shaky line between culture and naff. A peek into many a souvenir store the world over should prove my point. Even the best of them have to have their share of tackorama. That's not always a bad thing. My besties and I have a long-running game trying to outdo each other with the most spectacular piece of tack we can find on our travels.

Connemara marble comes in so many shades of green

My ignorant young self was, however, so wrong about Connemara marble. Working with this beautiful, ancient stone I've come to understand and appreciate its rarity, its beauty and its heritage value. The Irish green stuff is as iconic as the black stuff - and every bit as smooth. Indeed, it takes a lovely polish. The marble is our very own, 6 million-year-old natural resource that comes in a wide array of beautiful shades from a creamy white-wash to the darkest forest green. The yellower shades have a high content of the mineral, serpentine. Some pieces feature dots of shiny quartz. No matter how big or small, no two pieces are exactly the same and there are usually several tones within even the smallest of beads.

An increased number of Irish jewellery artists, homeware designers and sculptors are currently producing exciting work using Connemara marble or other traditional  materials such as Kilkenny marble, bog oak, wool, copper and wood. These materials are as relevant today as they ever were and lend themselves to interesting modern design.  I've picked out four of my favourites from Etsy.  

Sheepskin & Irish bog oak stool, MayFly Etsy shop

Natural edge mortar & Pestle,  MBWoodturning

Copper wall clock, Guilded Hound

Felt painting, Mairead Ryan Textiles. 

There is often a  nod to tradition found in my  own, contemporary  jewellery designs.   Irish    marble beads are not so easy to come by, but Galway and Mayo  have  some quality,  artisan masons     who provide me with suitable cuts. Connemara marble also matches very well with materials from abroad such as Swarovski crystal, Italian onyx and American amethyst.

Afternoon Tea, Connemara marble teapot pendant, Handmade by Amo'r

What's more Irish than a cuppa tae and a bun? This super cute pendant combines modern, whimsical design with a reference to Ireland's other traditional beverage.

Connemara marble and Swarovski crystal, Handmade by Amo'r

Classic, hand-cut Connemara marble meets modern, precision-cut Austrian crystal in an elegant pair of gala earrings.

Wild Heather, earrings. Connemara marble & amethyst

Purple amethyst complements the cooler shades of Connemara marble. While Ireland does have its own, virtually untapped, resource of amethyst seams, most famously on Achill Island, county Mayo, our gemstone industry remains underdeveloped. Beads like these have to be imported. Commonly, amethyst beads on sale in Ireland come from North America and the UK.

      

Kilkenny marble earrings    


Irish seaglass and copper wire pendant

Want to know more about the materials I use? Click HERE (or click the Materials button on the menu bar at the top of the page) to learn more.

C is for Carnelian, Chalcedony, Connemara Marble.....

So we are (still) on the letter C in my ABC blog series (a not-so-comprehensive guide to jewellery materials and tools I use, care of your jewellery etc.) Deserving a blog post of its own, I recently separated out the subject of Crimping, a technique for finishing beaded strings. Part 2 looks at Carnelian, Chalcedony, jewellery Cleaning, Chasing hammers, Connemara marble, Cork Red marble, Copper and more. 

blue chalcedony earrings

Chalcedony is a family of quartz stones. Here comes the brief science bit so look away now if it's not your thing... Chalcedony mineral is a cryptocrystaline form of silica and is waxy in appearance. (That wasn't too painful, was it?!) This group of quartz includes Carnelian, blue chalcedony, onyx, agate and some other less common varieties such as aventurine and chyroprase.

Chalcedony has been used for decorative and practical purposes as far back as the bronze age. It was the initiation stone for Egyptian High Priests while Renaissance magicians believed it had protective qualities and, curiously, designated it their stone for health & safety. This gem is the symbol for creativity, calm, peace, well-being and banishing fear.

  

Carnelian is a variety of chalcedony very popular for jewellery. It is reddish brown in colour and semi transparent in appearance. Known as the warrior stone, historically, it was incorporated into the armour of Roman soldiers. This fiery stone is associated with successful careers, passion, stamina and sporting acumen. Natural healers believe it to be a cure for nose bleeds. Carnelian is also one of the birthstones for October.

close up of a piece of Connemara marble. Own photo

The best known, local gemstone is Connemara  marble. This 600 million-year-old stone is found only in the West of Ireland. It is a very rare marble and comes in a range of greens from a white washed grey-green to darkest sage with every shade of lime and leaf in between. Many specimens are heavily variegated with several tones in one small piece. The 'serpentine streaks' are what make it so special.  I am very proud to use Irish Connemara marble and also Cork red marble in my work. I have previously posted the following articles on these indigenous Irish stones if you wish to know more:

A Snippet about Connemara Marble

Bright Connemara Marble

Up Close and Personal with Connemara Marble

A little about Cork Red Marble

Connemara marble and copper pendant

Connemara marble happens to go very well with another traditional Irish material, Copper. This pliable metal has been mined in Ireland for millennia. It is a durable, reddish brown metal that lends a warm look to jewellery. Copper is the symbolic gift for the 7th wedding  anniversary. Said to help with inflammatory conditions, copper bracelets have long been worn by sufferers of arthritis

Turquoise jasper and pre-oxidised copper pendant

This beautiful metal is stunning when new and shiny but I love the rustic patina copper takes on with time.

          

C is also for Cleaning! If you don't like the oxidised patina you can brighten natural copper with a solution of water, lemon juice and salt. A few drops of the citric juice and a few shakes of salt in a breakfast bowl half full of water is enough to brighten it up in seconds. Note: not recommended for gemstones or pearls wrapped in copper. Sea glass and other glasses are safe. 

To brighten the copper wiring on the Connemara marble piece above,  I would slide a sheet of plastic or kitchen shrink wrap under the wiring then dip a cotton bud into the salty lemon solution, or even just ketchup, and very carefully clean the wire. Then I would dry it with kitchen paper and dunk the whole piece into a bowl of water for a quick wash, before drying very thoroughly.

For more tips on cleaning and care of your bling please visit the Jewelry Care section of my blog.

  

One of my most prized jewellery tools is a Chasing hammer. This type of hammer is used with a steel block or an anvil for flattening and hardening craft wire but also for creating texture.  I use a hammer on my wire charms and my own hook and eye clasps etc. Notice the bevelled texture on this silver spiral, achieved by using the smaller rounded side of the hammer head and tapping it along the wire.

 

Did you know C is for Fabulous...well it is when it's a fabulous Cotton Crochet Chain made by HuggleKnits - just perfect for my sea pottery and beach glass pendants. I love love love this hypoallergenic alternative to a rubber or ribbon choker as it is durable, washable, comfortable and so easy to throw on as it closes with a button. Don't you agree the dazzling blue really lifts the sea pottery pendant??

 

This is where I park the letter C, with a link back to posts about Clear Crystal quartz and November birthstone, Spanish Citrine. Back soon with the letter D, which I suspect will be much shorter.....

CLICK HERE FOR ALL POSTS IN THIS SERIES

Inspirations from Terra Cotta

                        

Terracotta, plain tile and other uni-coloured sea pottery can seem a little mundane in comparison to a perfectly frosted piece of seaglass or a specimen of beach-worn Willow, for example. Yet somewhere in the recess of my imagination I've always known that the simpler and more ordinary pieces of slate and pottery have exciting potential. 

brown sea pottery pendant

The prettier sea treasures are usually a challenge to wire wrap. You have to use as little wire as possible, especially on the front, in order to show off their beauty to its best. Yet, you still have to cage the piece securely so it wont fall out. And of course, it's important to keep your wire work aesthetically appealing at the same time. The secrets to this type of wire wrapping are not so easy to unlock.

I tend to go for the more exciting and sell-able baubles first, leaving the plainer pieces aside. Yet deep down I've always known that the simple sea pottery shards can turn out to be far more fun to wrap. They are blank canvases -  a backdrop for the wire itself. Often, the challenge is to get the pottery and the wire to share the limelight in just the right balance so that they enhance each other. 

 

I had some vague design ideas running around my head but hadn't felt very motivated to bring them to life until a trip to the National Botanic Gardens, of all places. Here in a glass house I came across some inspiring artwork made from terracotta pots.

terracotta pot sculpture by unknown artist

Celtic spirals feature heavily in my jewellery and ornament designs. So naturally, I was drawn to this clever Celtic artwork. I'm afraid I didn't catch the name of the creator of this simple but very effective garden sculpture. If anyone can provide the name, please do post it in comments below.

Initially, I thought to take inspiration from the sculpture a bit too literally. I considered creating a triple spiral using both solid copper and silver plate wire and wrapping it onto a plain piece of terracotta sea pottery. I've done something similar in the past with gemstone slabs. 

Copper-wrapped Sea Pottery pendant

 However, rummaging through my stash, I was drawn to this biscuit and white tile shard but felt it would be swamped by such a design. It called for a simpler look that would balance the proportions right and bring out the understated beauty of the shard.

 

I'm pleased with the result. The warm copper comes into its own against the soft beige and creamy white background. There is no need to contrast with cold silver. With time the metal will naturally oxidise and darken, developing into a new phase of beauty. 

 

My Etsy friend Mo of HuggleKnits had accompanied me to the Botanic Gardens that day. It so happens that she was handing over some cotton crochet chains I'd commissioned her to make. This russet brown one complements the pendant to perfection.